Spiritual Practices
Faith

Quotes

God does not demand that I be successful. God demands that I be faithful. When facing God, results are not important. Faithfulness is what is important.
— Mother Teresa in Mother Teresa by Jose Luis Gonzalez-Balado

Doubting is not a sin. Nor does it denote a lack of faith. Lack of faith is a pure and simple disbelief. Doubting is an invitation to enter into the mystery more deeply, to go beyond the superficial.
— John Aurelio in Returnings

So, when something out of the ordinary happens,
some event that brings reassurance
that our faith is trustworthy,
we welcome it with all our heart.
But the lesson is the same,
time after time:
ultimately
everything is going to be okay.
— Mitch Finley in Whispers of Love

The substance of the faith remains always the same, but the mode of its expression changes.
— Pope John XXIII quoted in A Human Searchedited by John Swindells

Belief in God can spread trust in life, maturity, broadmindedness, tolerance, solidarity, creative social commitment. It can further spiritual renewal, social reform and world peace.
— Hans Kung in Credo

The way of faith is necessarily obscure. We drive by night.
— Thomas Merton quoted in Running to the Mountain by Jon Katz

Affirm your faith in yourself:
I believe that I am very important in God's eyes.
I believe that I can return, no matter how far I've strayed.
I believe that I have the inner strength to change.
I believe that I can become truly devoted and close to God.
— Rebbe Nachman of Breslov in The Empty Chair

Learning to trust — that is the great thing. You realize that you do have to do your work, you have to provide what you can, but also you have to learn to believe that Providence is going to provide all that you really need. One learns to trust like that, day by day. Of course, it does not mean that you just sit down and wait for things to happen. You have to do something, and you do what you need to do, in the belief that Providence is working in and through you, not that you alone are responsible.
— Bede Griffiths in A Human Search edited by John Swindells

The whole future of the Earth, as of religion, seems to me to depend on the awakening of our faith in the future.
— Pierre Teilhard de Chardin quoted in Spirit of Fire by Ursula King

Like a wild flower
in God's care
I put my worries away
trusting the One who holds me.
— Macrina Wiederkehr in The Song of the Seed

Nobody knows how the kindling flame of life and power leaps from one life to another. What is the magic quality in a person which instantly awakens faith? You listen to a hundred persons unmoved and unchanged: you hear a few quiet words from the man with the kindling torch and you suddenly discover what life means for you forevermore.
— Rufus Jones quoted in Rufus Jones: Essential Writings edited by Kerry Walters

Faith transforms the earth into a paradise.
By it our hearts are raised with the joy
of our nearness to heaven.
Every moment reveals God to us.
Faith is our light in this life.
— Jean Pierre de Caussade quoted in The Inner Treasure by Jonathan Star

In Buddhism faith is nourished by understanding. The practice of looking deeply helps you to understand better. As you understand better, your faith grows.
— Thich Nhat Hanh in Going Home